In WWII, which were faster? subs or surface boats? what about now?

Answer 1

surface boats

Answer 2

Submarines are much slower then surface boats, I also know that submarines invented by the Germans were called U - boats and they were considered the biggest risk during WW2 for some time. They were fast, quiet and when needed they could be unseen. The Americans figured out the communication of the Germans. They were able to figure out where the Germans were going and they were their to stop them. They were able to intercept messages from Germany and they knew exactly what the Germans were doing. When this was taking place the American ships were able to know the location of the U - boats. Since a U - boat cannot out run a surface ship it had to sink and this is when many U - boats were destroyed. U - boats were considered the fastest submarine during the war. Their was no other submarine that had been invented that was better, or faster.

I am absolutely no help to you on the second part of your question however I do believe that submarines would be the faster of the two. In diving it is easier to swim underwater then it is on the surface. It would also depend on how big the swells were in the ocean if their were any. If their were swells then the boat would take a lot longer then the submarine because it would constantly be going up and down each swell. With a submarine it would just glide through the water which is why in diving you want to have enough air to get back to the boat underwater, so you can get back quicker nd easier. Hope this helps! - Michael

Answer 3

Surface ships were faster in WW2, but the nuke attack subs are the fastest in the navy now. Some one mentioned that aircraft carriers are the fastest, well they have to admit that the carriers are fast because it can be observed at high speeds, and obviously subs cant. Also think about their functionality. Carriers are fast to get from point a to b (area of conflict) but not for their primary purpose launching and recovering of aircraft (barring the speed needed to launch aircraft). An attack sub the speed is a huge part of its role to hunt and kill other subs. Both have power only limited by the steam pipes and turbines, but which do your think would be designed to go faster. I also don't buy the argument of subs being slower because their underwater I'd rather have the entry of a sub over a carrier. I'd say the hydrodynamic of a sub is better then that of a carrier. Its not like a surface ship can get up on a plane like small boats of hydrofoils.

Answer 4

WWII submarines are designed as submersible surface ships. They sent the majority of the time on the surface and had displacement hull forms. Plus when on the surface, they were powered by diesel engines which were more powerful than electric motors. Normal operations were to speed to a patrol area on the surface and then submerge during the day and attack at night. Speed of displacement hulls is dependent on waterline length. WWII subs were not that long. Aircraft carriers and battleships with their longer hulls had a max speed of over 30kts. With snorkels, WWII subs could operate their diesels underwater. They had a higher speed, but still lower than surface ships.

Nuclear power changed how submarines operated. Being totally submerged the majority of the time, the hull design took the shape of a teardrop. Modern subs can reach over 40 kts. Problem with such high speeds is excessive noise. Ironically, modern German built diesel electric boats are the most quiet in the world. The Germans are also in the forefront of fuel cell technology. On the other hand, America has the best anti-submarine technology.

Answer 5

Proper nomenclature is surface "ships", not boats. ww2 surface boats include the famous P.T. boats small, agile fast. These could theoretically fit onto a surface ship , but a ship can never fit on a boat. War ships were faster than subs . Today hands down the American nuclear aircraft carrier is THE fastest surface ship in the arsenal, however even the mighty aircraft carrier does not want to try to run from the classified speed of our seawolf attack submarine.

Answer 6

In WW2 subs averaged about 21 knots on the surface and about 7 knots under water. Your average merchant ship was good for between 10knots all the way up to 30+knots for liners. Warships could do 21+ knots topping out at 35-40 knots. Today nuke boats are good for 30+ while diesel boats are also good for 20+knots under water on the surface these new boats are not so fast due to their domed bow shape this yeilds a speed of about 20 knots at best. Surface ships are all good for 30+ knots now the hang up for subs and speed is that subs make a lot of noise when moving over 6 knots and prefer to cruise at 2-4 knots when stalking prey. Read Tom Clancy's books on subs and you will get a good Idea of what's going on with subs.

Answer 7

In WW II and now, most fast surface ships were 30-35 kts.
WWII Type VII U-boat 17 kts surfaced, 8 submerged.
WWII Type XXI U-boat 16 kts surfaced, 17 submerged.
Most nuclear submarines now have reported speeds of 30+ kts.
Now ships still win in unclassified speeds.
Here are some of the fastest I've found on the web:

Answer 8

In WWII Surface ships were faster and Submarines were real slow under water and only so so on the surface. Now the Nuclear attack subs are pretty fast....but that's all classified info...but if I was a betting man....I'd say a modern nuclear powered submarine is faster than any surface ship now adays.

Answer 9

Surface ships will always be faster than a sub because of the difference on the amount of force that is needed to propel a sub through the water compared to what it takes to propel a ship across the top of the water. The advantage subs have had is stealth.

Answer 10

James is closest. With nuclear power the rules changed, but the answer is during WWII, the subs were WAY slower. That is why they had to drop down below the temperature differential of the water to hide. Once they launched, the destroyers saw them and they were doomed unless they could hide long enough. Nowadays, if subs were compared to same size above the water ships, they would always be slower, since the drag, or friction is always greater under water.

Answer 11

JAMES M is correct. in WWII the ships were much faster. subs were 3-4kts. underwater & maybe 12 at the most on the surface. now, and i know it's classified, but an attack or boomer sub can break 65kts. underwater. there may be a couple of ships that can beat that but i doubt it.